What is called the EPG (electronic program guide) in which program guide data to be used for program selection are transmitted being multiplexed with program data such as video and audio and other data and are displayed on a reception-side display device is known in such a field as digital broadcast.
Using an EPG, users can not only select a program to watch but also, for example, select a program to be reserved for recording to store it in a DVCR (digital video cassette recorder), a hard disk recorder, or the like that is connected to the display device.
For example, a user can set a recording reservation by selecting a desired program from programs in a displayed EPG by manipulating a remote controller or the like and then depressing a recording reservation button.
For a program for which a recording reservation has been set, a prescribed icon or the like that informs a user of the setting of the recording reservation is displayed in the EPG.
Incidentally, there are recording devices such as DVCRs and hard disk recorders that allow setting of recording reservations for programs whose broadcast times overlap with each other. This function allows users to set, in the case where, for example, a setting to perform recording in the same time slot every day has already been made, a recording reservation for another program to be broadcast in that time slot without the need for taking care about such an existing setting.
FIG. 1 shows an EPG example that is displayed by an apparatus that allows, as mentioned above, setting of recording reservations for programs whose broadcast times overlap with each other.
In FIG. 1, the horizontal axis represents the time and the vertical axis represents channels. Although in the example of the figure programs that are broadcast on channel-127 to channel-131 are omitted, actually the titles etc. of programs to be broadcast in the time slots shown are displayed like those of channel-123 to channel-126.
As shown in the figure, for example, the broadcast times of program-1 (European Soccer) and program-3 (Money Talk) overlap with each other and the broadcast times of program-2 (World Martial Arts) and program-3 also overlap with each other. Icons indicating that recording reservations are set for these programs are displayed on the left of their program names, respectively.
In the example of FIG. 1, reservation icons 11, 12, and 13 are displayed on the left of the titles of program-1, program-2, and program-3, respectively.
By checking such reservation icons, a user can easily recognize for what programs recording reservations are set.
FIG. 2 shows an example in which recording reservations have been set by using an EPG and detailed information of those settings is displayed in list form.
In this example, detailed reservation information of program-1, program-2, and program-3 for which reservations are set in FIG. 1 is displayed as reservation information-1, reservation information-2, and reservation information-3, respectively.
Each piece of reservation information, for example, reservation information-1, is such that a program title, a channel, a broadcast date and time, etc. are displayed and a reservation icon 11 etc. are displayed on their right.
By referring to such a list display, a user can also recognize easily for what programs recording reservations are set.
However, although displaying, for example, an EPG as shown in FIG. 1 allows a user to easily recognize for what programs recording reservations are set, there is a problem that in the case where broadcast time slots overlap with each other he cannot obtain, on the EPG, more detailed information such as an overlap time slot and which reserved program will be recorded during the overlap time slot.
In the case of FIG. 1, for example, although the user can recognize that the broadcast time slots of program-1 and program-3 overlap with each other, he cannot recognize a specific overlap time slot at a glance. And the user cannot recognize which of program-1 and program-3 will be recorded in the overlap time slot.
Further, a technique is known in which program blocks for which recording reservations etc. are set are displayed in a different color than program blocks for which no such settings are made. However, even in such a case, as in the above-described example, a user cannot recognize detailed information such as an overlap time slot at a glance.